SPACE RACE! Its about time too...

Mmmm....Didnt the US just announce plans for a 2018 Moon landing? Odd how that works out...

But, I am rather excited about this new news. I really feel that a good space race is over due.

BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- China, which launched its first manned space mission just two years ago, plans to put a man on the moon around 2017 and
investigate what may be the perfect source of fuel, a newspaper reported on Friday.

Two Chinese astronauts orbited Earth for five days last month in the Shenzhou VI and China was now developing new craft up to the Shenzhou X, eyeing a
permanent space station and an eventual moon mission, state media said this week.

"China will make a manned moon landing at a proper time, around 2017," leading scientist Ouyang Ziyuan was quoted by the Southern Metropolis News as
saying.

Originally posted by wetwarez
Why is it a race? We got there in '69. There is no race, the Chineese are just playing catchup. I don't see the problem with them going a year
before we go AGAIN.

The cold war spurred the first moon landing. The same driving force isn't applicable this time around.

Not a problem at all, but with China's recent surge in military spending and its massive resource grab, I have a feeling Washington will want to be
competative in this regard. After all, its quite expensive and I am certain US officials wouldnt mind having China's $$ tied up in a space race
rather than a military build up.

Been there done that! What about a manned Mars mission by 2018, now that would get me excited. Besides according to some, we were warned off the moon.
So let the Chinese go to the back side and see Santa Claus

because we first have to test technology
with a save harbour in close proximety.
you will test first than you can go to mars
using moon as a stepping stone / launch place.
and so you can get space economy and space
commercialisation in the process.

wow, there gonna have to work pretty hard to achieve that goal...unless they are going there for a little white. Nasa is planning on sticking around
this time...wonder if China will do the same.

2003 china put one man is space
2005 china put two more men in space
2007 china will put three more men is space
I figured they would just keep going, hell...by by 2100 they would have rockets launching 50 people at once.

but seriously...I think this will create some competition...but it wont be as frenzied as it was back in the 60's. Because this time around at the
same time will be a public space race...the the attention will be diverted between the two.

I don't think the Chinese can get there. Look at it this way, they are buying tech to put men in space from the Russians, formerly the Soviets, who
could never get a man on the moon due to the enormous cost. Russia even had better engineers than China has now and yet they still could never get to
the moon, and the Russian economy was about the same then as it is now for the Chinese.

Originally posted by Phaethor
Yes, the US will probably end up turning this into a race.

"We have to save the Moon for the sake of Democracy, otherwise it'll become a safe haven for Communist and Terrorists to launch attacks against the
US."

Phae

I don't see how it can be a race when we can't even get a shuttle to launch. What about the new CEV? No funding has even been approved yet alone
discussed?

The majority of funds NASA currently has is already tied into the crippled shuttle program. We're stuck with current funding and I doubt Congress
will pass a bill for any more spending with the current expendatures overseas.

Calm down boys, even if it's kind of a race since the US is starting its new lunar program almost from scratch (new rockets, the cev,...), the
Chinese won't be on the Moon in 2017, they have not even begun studies for an heavy lift rocket (more than 100 metric tons in LEO). And i highly
doubt they could develop one faster than the US which has much more expericence. Without this rocket, no human mission to the moon.

Shenzhou 6's success has bolstered China's ambition, all the official statement are not to be taken seriously.

Originally posted by ludo182
Calm down boys, even if it's kind of a race since the US is starting its new lunar program almost from scratch (new rockets, the cev,...), the
Chinese won't be on the Moon in 2017, they have not even begun studies for an heavy lift rocket (more than 100 metric tons in LEO). And i highly
doubt they could develop one faster than the US which has much more expericence. Without this rocket, no human mission to the moon.

Lest we forget the Saturn V rocket? Most powerful ever designed... Now what happened to that little rocket? Mmmm... they lost the designs and don't
know how to rebuild the one they've got.

Look we should NEVER have had to restart the lunar program... we never should have stopped. IMO we're pretty much stuck on this rock for the
forseeable future....

I remember the lunar landings, watching on TV and seeing the launches. It was a very exciting time to be an American. In those days when there was a
launch, all of America would stop what they were doing and watch the TV. We were glued to the sets when the first pictures started coming back, it was
a matter of intense pride. Back then everyone thought there would be a Moon base and then on to Mars and the other planets. It all seem so reachable.
Now we spend billions to orbit the earth, when we can even get our rust bucket of a shuttle to fly. Sorry but I just can't get excited about
returning to the Moon now after so many years. The glory was ours once and what a fun ride it was too. The Moon, nah let's raise our expectations and
go further where no man has gone before, whoops sorry, lost myself there.

I have to say that I would love to see either America OR China land a man on the moon, you see I was -10 when the first one happened.

BTW I thought that the US were planning to go to Mars by 2020 (?) -- now that would be impressive.

A lot more money should be spent on space travel because we should colonise other planets, indeed we will need to in the future. In my eyes money
spent on space exploration would be useful then on more efficient ways of killing one another.

Originally posted by Yorga
I remember the lunar landings, watching on TV and seeing the launches. It was a very exciting time to be an American. In those days when there was a
launch, all of America would stop what they were doing and watch the TV. We were glued to the sets when the first pictures started coming back, it was
a matter of intense pride. Back then everyone thought there would be a Moon base and then on to Mars and the other planets. It all seem so reachable.
[edit on 4-11-2005 by Yorga]

Man im envious

I wish I was alive to see that. Must have been a very interesting time to be alive.

As for China If I was in charge I would invest all the Moon mission money into a Europa prode. There you have the best chance of finding ET life in
our solar system, imagine the pride of being the first to discover alien life even if its a alien version of Tube worms found here on earth.

It wouldnt be a easy mission by any standard but the pay offs could be huge.

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